28 September 2014 - ENCS

The "Go" series was today continued by Calvin Hong

About witnessing to the "Community" to which we belong

The core text Calvin used was Acts chapter one verse eight

His disciples were to witness in Judea, Jesus did state

To witness is to share with others something we have seen

From our passion, our belief in the message others can glean

 

In Romans one verse sixteen, Paul says he is not ashamed

Sharing the gospel with both Jew and Gentile, he proclaimed

Remember that Jesus died a public death, Calvin did point out

So about our own faith we should not be afraid to loudly shout

We have nothing to fear, which comes from unbelief and sin

Besides, fear is the opposite of faith, which we have within

 

Faith comes from hearing the message, per Romans ten seventeen

And faith results from surrendering to the Lord God, who is unseen

Often our greatest battle is between our brain and our heart

God speaks to our heart, so from His path we do not depart

He promises that He will always meet us on the other side

For even without understanding we must surrender and abide

 

Per Matthew five verses thirteen to sixteen, we are salt and light

For others in the world, we can act as a beacon in the dark night

Calvin said that he uses sports to reach out to the community

His 'preaching' is done via his actions that the others can see

We can each make a difference by changing the atmosphere

Hour by hour, day by day, month by month, and year by year

 

To preach the Word, Timothy four verse two gives the reason

Paul says we should "be prepared in season and out of season"

Remember we are in places of influence in our communities

We can use our own experiences to each opportunity seize

Sometimes there is a reason God puts us through a tough trial

If nothing else, it makes our knowledge much more versatile

 

Ephesians two verses eight to ten say we are God's workmanship

We are created to do good works, for which God did us equip

Unless we submit completely to Him, we can not complete His plan

That is a true statement whether we are young or old, woman or man

And in whatever we do, we should not boast about our own works

By grace, through faith, we are saved so gifts from God are perks

 

In conclusion, Calvin said that each of us can make a difference

And then challenged us not to wait but to immediately commence

With friends and colleagues we are given opportunities each day

To influence others by what we do and the words that we say

That is how we can be good witnesses to our community

It will be challenging but rewarding, Calvin did guarantee

21 September 2014 - ENCS

At EN Hub, Pastor Josh continued the series entitled "Go"

"Nothing is impossible for God" is a truism we should know

For in reality we are not limited by our own capacity

But by how much we believe God's power can be

In other words, God lives up to the measure of our faith

What we feel in our hearts and also what we may saith

 

If we achieve our goals in life too early, we get bored

Like David and Solomon who fell out with the Lord

For without a purpose and vision for our whole life

We get complacent in our values and fall into strife

If our purpose is too limited, it may lead us to fall

For we need a God-sized vision on which to call

 

Per Acts 1:8, we are to witness to the ends of the earth

We are to change the world from the time of our rebirth

The Holy Spirit gives us power from God to share

Even better is that it never runs out, a trait very rare

Jerusalem is where Lord Jesus told the disciples to start

For us, focus on our families before on missions we depart

 

With families, what we say does not carry much weight

It is our actions that really matter, Pastor Josh did state

It is easier to go overseas for a one week mission trip

Than to stay at home and have your family see you slip

In short, words can be awesome but actions are better

For others will look to see if you live up to the letter

 

We are to be imitators of God, per Ephesians 5 one and two

By acting sacrificially and loving others in all that we may do

This brings us back to our relationship with God above

For as it says in so many places in the Bible, God is love

 

Instead of our appearance, into our hearts God does delve

This is clearly stated in Second Corinthians five verse twelve

On our part, we need him to change us from the inside out

So that the love of God compels us, without any doubt

Even another rejects us, we can help him in a different way

Complete change results from Jesus' love, Josh did say

 

So we must fall in love with Jesus so that others may see

That what we quote from the Bible is illustrated in reality

For when we live with joy and peace, others will of us ask

How we can be so continually loving no matter the task

 

No matter where we may be or whether we erred or not

God can use us to reach others, whether it is cold or hot

For nothing can ever disqualify us from God's grace

Even is we may not feel ready, as is so often the case

In our darkest situations, God's light often shines brightest

So we can draw other people to God, who is the mightiest

By continually trying to get more and more love from God

We can also help keep ourselves from running roughshod

 

Jesus died for us all, per Second Corinthians five verse fifteen

Similarly, we must put our will to death so His may be seen

When dealing with our families, do not dwell on the past

Instead be filled with love and purpose, for these will last

 

To be in the 'ministry of reconciliation', we need to be a new creation

We can connect with Jesus and also with others in many a location

When our actions follow our words, testimonies our lives become

That has a bigger impact than simply banging the biblical drum